Southern White Rhinoceros | Online Record Book Preview

Ceratotherium simum simum

DISTRIBUTION Reserves and private ranches in South Africa and Namibia; reintroduced in parts of Zimbabwe; now being introduced in other countries.

STATUS This subspecies is listed on Appendix II of CITES (1975). Nearly exterminated by the early part of this century, it has been brought back to healthy population levels in what is a classic example of good game conservation and management. Its numbers are increasing and it is considered safe.

REMARKS Surplus animals may be hunted by permit in South Africa and Namibia. The usual methods are by encounter or tracking. As the black rhino is no longer huntable, the southern white rhino has taken its place as one of the "big five" of dangerous African game. On properties where it is free-ranging and regularly hunted, it is a wary and elusive game animal that can be a challenge for a hunter on foot.

Recently, SCI has been accepting entries of darted (tranquilized and revived) southern white rhinos. These are animals that needed to be immobilized in order to be relocated, or as part of a scientific study. It is more difficult and demanding to dart a rhino than it is to shoot it with a rifle. Great care must be taken to assure that the rhino is not harmed, and that no member of the darting team is injured or killed by this potentially dangerous animal. For a fee (which covers the cost of the procedure, the presence of a veterinarian, and a hefty insurance premium on the rhino's life), sportsmen are allowed to take part in these non-lethal hunts and to fire the dart gun. All darting hunts to date have taken place in South Africa.